Strike Support!

Last night, Joe and I sat down to watch the first "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" after the strike. Both hosts made hay of the fact that they didn't have writers. Stewart was more understated. Colbert talked about strikes, unions and striking for nearly the entire episode. And because he's a funny guy and likely has funny non-union guys writing for him, the show was still pretty good.

But there was a palpable doom hanging over both shows. It was like we, the viewing audience and they, the producers of the show have had an awkward, screaming fight in front of people and now we're "not talking about it" by "making jokes about it". It's very passive aggressive. There's a huge white elephant in the room and nobody is really dealing with it.

I think it's a mistake to bring back either show without the writers.

I understand that they needed to produce revenue for the cameramen, the set dressers, etc. But I think that they've completely cut the legs out from under the writers. With a "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" up and running (in some capacity), the networks have what they want. And by my watching it, I give the network what they want - a viable, working series of comedy shows, completely without writers.

So, I'm swearing off of those shows until the strike is over. I'm not watching either program. I'm pretending that they're both still off the air until they return in the format that I want them to return in. Similarly, I would stop watching "the office" or "rescue me" or "mad men", if those shows tried to go on without writers too.

Writers are intregal to a products success. Without their words and their initial inspiration, you have no piece. Or at best, you have a terrible, inaccesible piece. I can't emphasize the importance of writers to the success of a project, enough.

It just feels wrong to watch a writerless show.

So I don't think that I am going to.

Cheers,
Mr.B